Howard University prepares diverse, talented and ambitious students to learn, lead and embody excellence in truth and service.
05/08/2025
The medical neglect of female patients and people of color is a longstanding and well-documented crisis in American healthcare.
But Howard Medical graduate Brittany Grossi plans to be a doctor who listens, reflecting on her childhood when she was losing weight and in constant pain, and her mother’s pleas for help were dismissed.
“I was a young, single Black mother and a hairstylist watching my daughter wither away in front of me. I knew something was wrong, but the doctors wouldn’t listen,” Grossi’s mother, Ms. Kay, said.
After finally finding a specialist who listened, Grossi was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and underwent a life-saving surgery at 13 years old.
And despite her health issues, she stayed serious about her books, leading her to Howard University, where she completed her undergraduate degree in 2020.
“Howard accepted me, and I accepted it back without a thought. It just felt like Howard saw in me what was necessary. I came here as an 18-year-old and I’m leaving as a doctor,” Grossi said.
Read more about her Howard journey here https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/howard-university-2025-medical-graduate-brittany-grossi-turns-crohns-illness-purpose
